When Josh McDaniels was fired as the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders last week, some around the NFL were only surprised at the timing of it but not surprised overall that it happened.
Word from NFL sources for several weeks was that McDaniels had trouble reaching several of his players, and their belief in him was waning. However, sources say this wasn’t just a recent phenomenon but something that had been an undercurrent for a while.
NFL News and Rumors: How Josh McDaniels’ Time With the Las Vegas Raiders Came to an End
One plugged-in team source said there was an “ominous” feeling to start the season, which is typically not the feeling around teams at that time of the year. There’s generally going to be optimism going into a season where every team starts 0-0, and another source added that there wasn’t a ton of confidence that McDaniels could get the team pointed in the right direction.
Multiple sources told Pro Football Network that there was a sense of the culture that McDaniels and now former general manager Dave Ziegler brought in at the start of their tenure last year that was never fully embraced by some of the players who were on the Raiders roster but did not play for the New England Patriots previously.
McDaniels, a former long-time offensive coordinator for the Patriots under two tenures with the team, ran harder practices with the Raiders than many players were used to, but sources said some of the former Patriots players felt that the practices were actually lighter than under New England head coach Bill Belichick.
It seems, sources added, that you have two factions of players under McDaniels:
- The ones he and Ziegler brought in who understood what McDaniels was trying to accomplish and who were accustomed to his personality and demeanor from their days with him with the Patriots.
- Some of the ones they inherited and had trouble either connecting with him or buying into what he was trying to get done.
Multiple league sources said that things came to a head during a recent team meeting when McDaniels surprisingly told the players to speak up and say whatever they had to say about him — whether positive or negative. And there were several extremely critical opinions about him in this meeting, sources said.
McDaniels seemed beleaguered after this meeting, another source said, almost defeated.
The biggest issue, in the end, was the lack of “buy-in” from too many players, which doomed McDaniels, multiple sources said.
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Sure, there were several personnel misses during the McDaniels and Ziegler tenure, but getting players to play at the level that was expected in order to eventually be a playoff contender never came close to happening, which was a big reason why owner Mark Davis fired both of them.
“Unfortunately, I had great hopes for Josh and Dave. It just seemed we were going in the wrong direction. So, with the trade deadline, I just felt it was time to make a change, time to make a move,” Davis told ESPN after the firings.
Who Could Be the Next Raiders Head Coach?
Davis will have plenty of time to gather a list of quality candidates, but from talking to high-ranking personnel executives, coaching agents, and other sources, we’ve put together an initial list of the best head coaching candidates, which we will add to as we continue to talk to more people around the league in the coming weeks.
It should be noted that out of the current 31 NFL head coaches, only three had not been a coordinator at this level previously (Andy Reid, Zac Taylor, and Dan Campbell), so it’s rare for position coaches to get hired as head coaches as the Philadelphia Eagles did with Reid in 1999.
Interim head coach Antonio Pierce, a former NFL linebacker, got off to a good start by winning his first game leading the Raiders and could get consideration as well if he keeps things on the winning track over the final eight regular-season games.
Ben Johnson, OC | Detroit Lions
The Carolina Panthers were set to interview Ben Johnson earlier this year for their head coaching vacancy, but he decided against it and wanted to wait another year due to family considerations, a league source said.
Johnson will be one of the top head coaching candidates this time around, and if a team wants to hire a candidate from the offensive side of the ball, he’s likely going to be on the top of the list.
Brian Johnson, OC | Philadelphia Eagles
At least two teams were strongly considering hiring Brian Johnson as their offensive coordinator before the Eagles promoted him from quarterbacks coach to OC, sources said. Due to his relationship with QB Jalen Hurts and their offensive scheme, he was the natural choice to be promoted to his new position after Shane Steichen became the Indianapolis Colts head coach.
Johnson is also calling the plays this season and will be on head coaching interview lists, league sources said. But whether he wants to be one this early in his NFL coaching career remains to be seen.
Eric Bieniemy, OC | Washington Commanders
The former NFL running back has done an excellent job of calling plays in his first year doing so in the league.
Eric Bieniemy, a long-time coordinator with the Kansas City Chiefs, was heavily involved with game planning, but Reid has been their primary play-caller since he took over in 2013.
While the Commanders are not a winning team at this point, it’s hard to argue with Bieniemy’s success in developing first-year starting QB Sam Howell.
Dan Quinn, DC | Dallas Cowboys
The former Atlanta Falcons head coach, Dan Quinn is widely recognized by personnel executives as one of the top defensive minds around the NFL, and has interviewed for at least three head coaching jobs around the league since becoming the Cowboys defensive chief in 2021.
The general belief in league circles is Quinn’s almost certain to be a head coach again, but it will be interesting to see who he hires to run his offense. That’s typically the challenge for guys who come from the defensive side of the ball, as owners typically prefer head coaching candidates from offense, so the defensive coach has to prove he has an offensive staff that can generate points and develop a quarterback if need be.
Raheem Morris, DC | Los Angeles Rams
He probably was too young when he was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach in 2009 (33 years old), but from talking to coaches who have worked with him with the Los Angeles Rams and Falcons (his two most recent coaching stops), Raheem Morris is a born leader who is also an excellent strategist.
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Now 47, Morris is a two-time Super Bowl winner and has shown over the years that he’s more than ready to become a head coach again.
Lou Anarumo, DC | Cincinnati Bengals
He wasn’t Zac Taylor’s first or even second choice to run his defense when Taylor took over as head coach in 2019, sources said. But over time, Lou Anarumo absolutely turned out to be the right choice.
From talking to other teams about Anarumo, they have been very impressed with his use of personnel, and he has shown the ability over the past few years to get the most out of his players.
He was one of the finalists for the Arizona Cardinals head coaching job that eventually went to Jonathan Gannon earlier this year.
Aaron Glenn, DC | Detroit Lions
The former NFL defensive back got off to a slow start with the Lions as their defensive play-caller, but once Detroit returned from their Week 6 bye last season, their defense really started to play with much more discipline. Now, Aaron Glenn is widely recognized in personnel circles as one of the better defensive minds in the NFL.
What some NFL personnel executives also like about him is he does have some background in personnel as he scouted college and pro players for two seasons (2012, 2013).
Jerod Mayo, LB coach | New England Patriots
The former first-round pick of the Patriots, Jerod Mayo runs their defense along with fellow linebackers coach Steve Belichick.
Mayo, who interviewed for the Eagles’ head coaching job that went to Nick Sirianni in 2021, is a born leader. Word around Philadelphia after his interview was that he presented himself in a dynamic way and came off very well.
Brian Flores, DC | Minnesota Vikings
Brian Flores wound up being fired as the Miami Dolphins head coach after three seasons, but he’s doing an excellent job with limited resources in his first year with the Vikings.
From talking to some coaches who have gone up against Minnesota this season, Flores has shown to be an excellent defensive strategist.
This time around, he’ll have to come up with a sound plan to develop an offense.
Sean Desai, DC | Philadelphia Eagles
He’s only in his first year with the Eagles and has only run an NFL defense for two seasons (Chicago Bears in 2021 was the other).
Sean Desai has done a terrific job of handling some significant challenges on the back end of his defense due to injury, which has forced him to use inexperienced players so far this season.
When you’re with the premier team in the NFL, you’re going to get some notice if you’re in charge of either side of the ball, so Desai is going to get some attention if the Eagles make another Super Bowl run.
Steve Wilks, DC | San Francisco 49ers
From talking to multiple NFL sources about him, the word around the Panthers last season was that Steve Wilks did great handling the challenges presented after he got promoted to interim head coach following Matt Rhule’s firing.
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So Wilks, who didn’t exactly get a fair shot with the Cardinals (fired after just one season), could get some interest this time around, especially if the 49ers make a deep playoff run.
Jim Schwartz, DC | Cleveland Browns
Word in coaching circles is that Jim Schwartz wants to be a head coach again, and he has been one of the NFL’s best defensive coordinators for many years.
Schwartz won a Super Bowl in 2017 with the Eagles, and now, already has the Browns’ defense in the top five in several key categories.
Jeff Ulbrich, DC | New York Jets
From talking to other teams who have gone up against the Jets, the fiery former NFL inside linebacker has become one of the top defensive minds in recent years.
Jeff Ulbrich has great leadership skills, but what he’ll have to prove — like so many defensive coaches — is that he’s capable of putting together a really strong offensive coaching staff.
Mike Macdonald, DC | Baltimore Ravens
Mike Macdonald was once a low-level defensive assistant with Baltimore back in 2015. Over the years, he’s worked his way up the coaching staff to DBs coach and then linebackers coach before leaving to run Michigan’s defense in 2021.
Macdonald was a surprise choice to return to the Ravens to replace veteran DC Don “Wink” Martindale considering he only ran Michigan’s defense for one season and was only 35 years old when he came back to Baltimore.
It might be a little early for Macdonald to become an NFL head coach, but his ability to game plan defensively can’t be underestimated. The team has one of the best defenses in the NFL. The key for him is to put a good coaching staff together, especially on offense.
Jim Harbaugh, HC | University of Michigan
Jim Harbaugh is in the midst of turmoil over accusations of sign-stealing by his program, but some NFL teams have had their eyes on him for years since he left the 49ers after 2014.
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Harbaugh was once a Raiders assistant coach for two seasons (QBs) over 20 years ago, but he had a good relationship with then-owner Al Davis, a league source said. Davis’ son, Mark, who has been the owner since 2011, had significant interest in Harbaugh back in 2015, but the latter chose to coach at his alma mater.
Rich Bisaccia, Assistant HC/Special Teams Coordinator | Green Bay Packers
Rich Bisaccia was Las Vegas’ interim HC after Jon Gruden was fired during the 2021 season. He was highly thought of inside the Raiders building, sources said, for keeping the team together despite all of the chaos that went through that season, and they shockingly made the playoffs as a Wild Card.
From talking to coaches who have worked with Bisaccia over the years, they say he’s a born leader and has great command, which means players buy in with what he’s asking them to do. But again, John Harbaugh is the only NFL head coach who was an NFL special teams coach previously, so Bisaccia will have an uphill battle to become a head coach.
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